He was talking to the ones he called "knuckleheads" — the 80 or so holdouts on LBI’s oceanfront who refuse to allow giant dunes to be built between their houses and the ocean, protecting the island from the next Hurricane Sandy.

The governor’s bottom line: Dunes will be built whether you like it or not.

This is one of those cases when Christie’s antagonism is appropriate. For all his bluster, Christie’s stand is more reasonable than arguments by those who would block the dunes to preserve their views and property values.

Up and down the Shore, communities protected by robust dunes — places such as Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, Avalon and Stone Harbor — suffered less damage than those that weren’t . That’s why the Army Corps of Engineers wants to build a dune system along New Jersey’s entire 127-mile coastline. But the agency won’t start unless all the easements are signed.

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The project calls for wide beaches, protected by a tall, unbroken wall of dunes all along the coast. Sandy proved this much: A surging ocean will find every gap and exploit every weakness. The result: A destructive wall of water that flattens neighborhoods well beyond the beach.

One gap — one person’s view — puts hundreds more in danger.

Some homeowners have had years to agree to the dunes but refused. Recently, New Jersey courts have ruled that private property rights trump broader public safety concerns. But that was before Sandy.

Why not use eminent domain? As one LBI mayor put it: Why reward stubbornness, when so many others volunteered to do the right thing?

Christie is turning up the heat on the holdouts. Flashing message boards on Route 72 — the highway linking LBI to the mainland — encourage homeowners to sign. He’s threatening to publish the names of those who won’t.

Hurricane Sandy was a priceless lab for scientists who study our shores. In one surge, it demonstrated both destructive power and how we best protect ourselves. Dunes work best when they’re unbroken. The Atlantic will still be there. Dunes will mean walking just a few more steps to see it.